Details Scares on McConnell's Health   07/07 06:21

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Staff for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said last week 
that the senator is "continuing his recovery" in a hospital while the Senate is 
out of session. But his office has released no details about the former 
Republican leader's condition during his weekslong hospitalization or whether 
he will be at the Capitol when the Senate returns next week.

   McConnell was admitted to the hospital on June 14, according to a statement 
from his office that only said he was "receiving excellent care." A statement a 
week later said that he would not be voting that week. And on Thursday, a new 
statement said that he "continues to improve" and "appreciates the outpouring 
of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital."

   His office has not released any updates since then, and a spokeswoman did 
not return a request for comment on Monday.

   The senator's unspecified health issues come after several hospitalizations 
in recent years, and as Senate Republicans are already navigating a narrow 
majority in the final months before the midterm elections. McConnell, 84, was 
the longest serving Senate leader in history before stepping aside from that 
role. He is serving out his final term, which ends in January.

   While he was still Republican leader, McConnell was hospitalized with a 
concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a 
Washington hotel. After he returned, he twice froze up during news conferences 
that summer, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff came to his 
assistance. A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a 
GOP luncheon.

   McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some 
difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs. He also tripped and fell 
in 2019 at his home in Kentucky and underwent surgery for a fractured shoulder.

   McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican 
leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader 
during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing 
up for work when the chamber is in session, often using a wheelchair to get 
around.